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| This column is the bishop’s communication with the faithful of the Diocese of Madison. Any wider circulation reaches beyond the intention of the bishop. |
Dear Friends,
By the time you see this (I hope) our political elections will have been decided, but as I write this column we’ve not yet reached Election Day. In many ways I’m glad for this, as it allows for me to write to you without being affected by those outcomes. At the end of the day, our hope does not lay in any political candidate or party, and our ultimate destination is not even anywhere in this world. Our hope rests always in the Lord, our God, and our ultimate destination is His home, His Kingdom.
Depending on who has won or lost the elections, our work may become easier or more difficult, but regardless who wins or loses, our job is unchanged. It is our work as Catholic women and men to do all we can, to welcome ever more the gift of His Kingdom. The race for political office has ended, and we have seen just how much time and energy (not to mention money) has been expended in order to insure victory for this or that man or woman for the span of four or six years. With this perspective we must ask ourselves what we are doing in the race toward heaven? How can we do anything less than to expend similar time and energy toward victory for eternity? The Apostle Paul uses the analogy of an athletic race (1 Cor 9:23-27) to encourage us in our efforts to, “run the race so as to win!” And that analogy holds true here as well!
